A Very Merry Christmas
by Navy Babe
Summary: No one should be alone on Christmas. Not even Jethro Gibbs.


A Very Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. Though right now I have partial custody of Gibbs. :P The book is a real book and it is not mine either.

Rating: K+

Author's Notes: I FINISHED IT! That's all I have to say. Happy Holidays everyone!

Any mistakes made are completely mine, as I couldn't send this off to my beta.

* * *

Gibbs took another sip of bourbon and studied his boat. He smirked to himself and raised his mug, "Merry Christmas Jethro." Some people had family to be with on the holidays, some people had friends. He had his boat.

Ducky had invited him to his annual Christmas party, but Gibbs knew from previous attendance that one night with the entire Mallard family was one night too many. One of his old Marine buddies had invited him over for dinner, but he always felt like he was intruding on something that was supposed to be for families only. So he stayed at home and worked on his boat, as if it wasn't Christmas Eve.

He went back to sanding the wood in front of him, until he heard creaking at the top of the stairs. Out of habit, he reached for the gun that was usually on his hip and his gaze flew up to the entrance to his basement. He relaxed as he recognized the petite figure in the doorway, and silently waved her down.

"You really should lock your door Gibbs." Kate chastised quietly, taking in the sight before her. She had heard multiple stories about the boat, but had never seen it for herself.

"That's what the gun's for." He replied, nodding over to the sidearm resting on the table next to the bourbon.

She smiled and set her coat on the banister and a bag down by the stairs, and took a seat on the stool nearby. "Merry Christmas Gibbs." She murmured, looking around the basement. He turned to her and flashed her the infamous Gibbs smile.

"You drove all the way out here to wish me a Merry Christmas?"

Shrugging, she brought her gaze back to him. "I knew that you were alone tonight, and no one should be alone on Christmas." A soft smile lit up her face, "Not even Jethro Gibbs."

"Ever think that I like being alone Agent Todd?" He asked gruffly. Internally, he cringed. He had a beautiful woman in his basement, all to himself, and he was attempting to get rid of her.

But she shrugged off the nasty tone, and tilted her head to the side with a sweet smile. "Nope. I think that you're alone because you didn't have a better option. I know that's why I'm alone this Christmas. So I figured that we could be alone together."

Smirking, he turned to her. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being alone?"

She chuckled and looked down at her feet. "Well…yeah." Her warm brown eyes turned to him again, as she got off the stool and walked towards him. She gently took the sander out of his hands and glanced up at him. "But like I said, no one should be alone for Christmas."

He nodded slowly, slightly taken aback by her boldness. They stood there, in an entrancing silence, as Gibbs slowly took in everything he could about this woman in front of him. She smelled of peppermint and something spicy, as if she had been indulging in some gingerbread cookies before making her way to his home. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and her cream v-neck sweater and jeans were laid back, but still enough to stir up the same inappropriate urges he had whenever he was this close to her. Caitlin Todd in his basement was quite possibly the best Christmas gift he had ever received.

"So what do you propose we do?" Gibbs asked awkwardly, breaking the silence between them. "I'm not big on holidays Kate."

She smiled and took a step back. "I noticed." She turned back towards the stairs, and held up the bag that she had brought down with her. "I kind of expected that, so I brought over some stuff. Nothing fancy, just enough to get you in the mood." A bright smile lit up her face as she held out a hand to him. "C'mon."

He wasn't completely sure what he would be getting himself into if he took her hand, but he had to admit that he was curious what spending Christmas with Katie Todd would be like. And besides, he found it hard to refuse her anything when she looked at him like that. So he took her hand and she grinned, before turning and pulling him up the stairs.

Gibbs was banished to the kitchen to make some coffee, as per Kate's orders, while she got her decorations out. When he came back out into his family room, he was astounded to see what she had done in such a short amount of time. A simple string of colored lights adorned his mantle, along with two stockings and a small table top tree sat on his coffee table. In the background, a Christmas song played softly, as small candles on the table washed the room in a soft romantic glow. Kate sashayed up to him and gave him a small smile as she grabbed one of the mugs from his hand. "Like it? I didn't want to lug all my decorations over, so there's not much but…" She trailed off and gazed up to him with soulful brown eyes.

He returned her soft smile, and nodded. "It's perfect Kate." She perked up with his approval and took a sip of her coffee.

"Well in that case, there's one more thing I put up that you didn't see." She murmured, leaning up to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. Pulling back slowly, she grinned at his stunned look. "Mistletoe." She said simply, taking another sip of her coffee.

He smirked down at her and took a long sip of his coffee. As he surveyed the room once more, he noticed a rather large brightly colored package underneath the small tree. Kate followed his gaze and just smiled as he turned to her, raising his eyebrow in amusement and curiosity. She just grinned and grabbed his hand, leading him over to the couch. He sat down and immediately grabbed the package, shaking it childishly. Snatching it out of his hands, Kate set it back down under the tree and turned back to Gibbs. "Now I know you might not be big on Christmas, but I know that you remember that you don't get to open gifts until Christmas day."

Throwing a glance back to the gift, Kate just smiled. "Now, we can either watch _A Christmas Story_, _Miracle on 34th Street_, or _It's a Wonderful Life_." Holding up all three, she shook them alluringly.

Gibbs chuckled and cocked his head to the side, "Kate, I only have one TV and no DVD player. How exactly were you planning to play these movies?" He set his now empty mug down on the coffee table, turning to her. Giggling slightly, Kate handed the movies to him and bent down, reaching for something below the table. "Your laptop plays movies?" She smiled and nodded, booting up the computer.

"C'mon Gibbs, your choice." He shook his head and handed her _Miracle on 34th Street_. She grinned happily as she slid the disk into the computer. He leaned back into the couch and she was quick to copy his movements. "I'd hoped you'd pick this one. It was my favorite growing up." She grinned up at him and settled further into the couch.

About an hour and a half later, Kate had fallen asleep on Gibbs' shoulder, curling comfortably into his side. He chuckled as he looked down at her; he found the peace and innocence on her face absolutely adorable. He shifted slightly and she quickly awoke, her eyes opening as she looked around wearily. Lifting her head off his shoulder, she yawned slightly and smiled at him. "Sorry I fell asleep on you Gibbs. Literally." She blushed as she moved out of his space.

"It's no problem Kate. Look why don't you spend the night here? It's late; I don't want you driving home. I've got a spare bedroom you can use." She tilted her head to the side and opened her mouth in protest before Gibbs shook his head. "It's not up for debate. I'll show you to the room." Kate followed behind him as they walked up the stairs as she tried to take in every detail she could about her new surroundings.

Kate smiled as she walked through the door of the room that Gibbs directed her to. "Thanks." He grunted as if in reply and turned to leave, before hearing Kate call out to him. "Hey Gibbs, wait!" Turning back to her, he was shocked to feel her soft lips pressed up against his, for just a moment. She drew away quickly and looked up at him shyly. "Thanks for everything." She stated softly.

"You're welcome Kate." He murmured. "Night."

She leaned against the door and bit her lip lightly. "Night Gibbs."

* * *

The next morning, Gibbs awoke to the smell of coffee brewing and the sound of Caitlin Todd moving about his kitchen. Quickly brushing his teeth and throwing on some clothes, he joined her downstairs about five minutes later. Kate turned to him, eyes bright and a huge smile on her face. "Merry Christmas Gibbs!"

He just laughed and picked up the mug that she had just slid over to him. A little bit weaker than he liked it, but still good coffee nonetheless. "Merry Christmas Kate." He sat down at the table and just watched as Kate continued to move about the kitchen. Now that he was downstairs, he caught the distinct scent of cinnamon rolls. He smiled, not sure if he could remember the last time he had indulged in the gooey treats.

Kate slid into the seat next to him and slipped the package from the night before towards him. "You can open your gift now…if you want." He smiled at her as she took a sip of her coffee.

He slowly unwrapped the gift and smiled softly as what was inside was revealed to him. "_Semper Fi: The Definitive Illustrated History of the U.S. Marines_." He looked over to her and was met with an uncertain gaze. "I love it Kate. Where'd you find it?" He opened up the inside cover of the book and scanned over the pages while he waited for an answer.

"I was just looking through the bookstore and it just…was there. It just reminded me of you." She smiled shyly and bit her lip as she looked up at him. "Merry Christmas Gibbs." She leaned up and moved in to lightly kiss his cheek.

But he happened to turn at that exact moment, and her mouth collided with his. She almost jerked away in shock, but his hand weaved itself into her hair and kept her mouth against his. She relaxed into his touch as he continued their kiss, moving her head slightly so they weren't in such an awkward position. Gibbs ran his tongue over her lips and she groaned in compliance, opening her mouth just as the timer for the cinnamon rolls went off. They both slumped while Kate slowly broke contact.

She quickly moved away to the oven, taking out the pastries. Leaving the pan to cool on the stove she turned back to Gibbs with an uncertain wavering smile. He cleared his throat and looked into his mug, staring at the dark brown liquid. "I uh…I don't have anything for you. I wasn't expecting to do…this."

She chuckled as she came back to her seat and just shook her head. "It's okay Gibbs. I don't need anything." Looking into his eyes, her honest and open stare almost took his breath away. "It's the best Christmas I've had in a long time."

"Me too Katie. Me too."


End file.
